" 32. Laugh At Yourself

Everyone always warms to people who can laugh at themselves. It’s human nature - and the best jokes are always against ourselves. It shows character, humility and grace.

So don’t take yourself too seriously: if you fall in the mud, just sit up tall and laugh.

Conversely, note how those who laugh at others are the people we instinctively pull away from.

People who laugh at others are really showing that they think they’re better than the people they’re making fun of. And if they laugh at them, then we naturally think that maybe next time they will be laughing at us - behind our backs. And no one likes that.

The ability to laugh at yourself also shows to others that you adhere to one of the great teachings of the Bible:

Be humble, and consider others better than yourself.

Great people make you feel great about yourself. They build others up, they pay compliments often and freely, and they don’t pull others down to push themselves up.

So laugh at yourself, not others; build others up before yourself; and talk well, not nastily, about others in public.

I love this idea: How you speak about others speaks loudest about yourself. It is so true (which is why there’s a whole chapter on it later in the book).

It is one of my life goals that, at my funeral, those who know me will be able to stand up and say they never heard me speak badly of anyone else.

(By the way, I have failed at this many times already, but it is still a good goal to have!)

Like you, I am still a work in progress, but I am trying, like you, to do better. Every day a little kinder, a little more generous, and taking myself a little less seriously.

Great men and women never take themselves seriously. It is part of what makes them great.

Look at the animals: the strongest grizzly bear still rolls around with her cubs, goofing. It is part of their strength and magnetic appeal. "

― Bear Grylls , A Survival Guide for Life: How to Achieve Your Goals, Thrive in Adversity, and Grow in Character